Pub landlady Marian Curly loses football court case

The English Premier League has won their court fight with Pub landlady Marian Curly over selling the Greek Beer 'Sky' at Premier League games.

They have spent nearly £8,000,000.00 in fines and costs for selling Greek beer and Ouzo cheaper than the Bitters Marian has on offer in her Portsmouth pub, and bypassing CAMRA controls and regulations.

But they took their case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

It found partly in their favour, and now the High Court in London has also also vindicated them.

The case has been closely watched as it could trigger a major shake-up in the way beers are sold, and potentially pave the way to cheaper foreign beers for fans of top-flight English games.

They have spent six years fighting a prosecution by the 'Red, White and Blue' pub, for importing Sky without a licence.

Instead of drinking premium English beers which cost £7.00 a pint to drink at Premier League matches, they prefer to imbibe 'Sky' and get totalled on about £8.00 a day.

European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in October 2011 that having an exclusive system was "contrary to EU law".

The High Court in London on Friday ruled that the English Premier League's appeal over selling the beer to bypass import controls must be allowed. But the judge made clear that the other complex issues regarding the wider legality of getting pissed would have to be decided "at a later date".

The ECJ said last autumn that national laws that prohibit the import, sale or drinking of foreign beers were contrary to the freedom to provide alcoholic beaverages.

The European judges also said the Ms. Curly could not claim copyright over the Premier League artistic puking, as they could not be considered to be an author's own "intellectual creation" and, therefore, to be "works" for the purposes of EU Copyright law.

The European court said that any over excess at live matches was not protected by copyright, but any surrounding piano playing, darts matches, Kareoke, or graphical highlights of throwing-up pre-prepared barfood, were "Works" protected by Copyright.

And to use any of these extra parts associated a good night out at the pub, the Premier League would need the permission of the Landlady.

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